100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population: NMC revises year of implementation to 2025-26

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has revised the year of implementation of guidelines limiting MBBS seats to 100 per a million population. As per the latest notification, the commission said that the rule will be applicable from the academic year 2025-26.

Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses and Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023 was notified by Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UMEB) on August 16.

Medical colleges established from the upcoming academic session (revised to 2025-26) will have a maximum of 150 MBBS seats provided the institute follows the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that state, the guidelines said.

The NMC said that the limitation of seats is expected to “reduce regional disparities” in availability of healthcare professionals.

However, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin had called NMC’s decision as “regressive” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to instruct the union health ministry to keep the NMC notification in abeyance.

As per the guidelines, letter of permission (LoP) for starting of new medical colleges will be issued only for annual intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats. The commission also said that hospitals should have at least 220 beds and the distance between the hospital and medical college should have a travel time of maximum of 30 minutes.

“For every hospital seeking permission to start medical college, the medical college shall have rural health training centres/community health centres/urban health centres affiliated to it; according to the geographical location of the college, which shall be used for internship training,” the rules read.